closet shelf fell

[WestCoastSunset]

It's a closet maid. Obviously, I have to patch the holes from the brackets and put the shelf back up so I can Hang things up in my closet, but I have a few questions

1. The plastic end brackets were not secured through the stud. So this time I would like to do that. Do I position the brackets lower then before. I'd imagine that positioning the brackets higher then before would not be necessarily a good idea as I don't want the wall to crack.

2. To repair the holes, which are only the size of screws, should I just use spackle?

[HayZee518]

bracket

it might behoove you to use a couple of pieces of 1x3 or 4 inch pine the width of the internal walls of the closet. fasten the 1x to the studs and then your bracket to the two boards. dimple the holes inward a touch and use drywall mud to patch